History of Jersey Zoo & Durrell Trust ex-situ / in-situ conservation efforts.

@Onychorhynchus coronatus
In this case, it would be more sensible to pay the police to periodically raid local markets and confiscate the monkeys, and these animals would be passed to conservationists to release or start the breeding program. And contact crews of popular soap opera or evening shows in Colombian TV to pass the message that tamarins should not be kept as pets.

You see, striving for perfect legality might only make this operation more complicated and actually harm the monkeys.And the most likely end result will be than neither will be done, and dozens of tamarins will continue to be sold and die unproductively.

I don't want to go into ideological discussion. I only point that humanitarian care and world health organizations have long recognized that saving human lives in less developed places needs abandoning ways working in more developed places. And nobody blames Red Cross for that. The same could apply to saving endangered species.

 

I agree with you about the raising awareness of these issues through popular cultural mediums through TV, radio or social media or getting the endorsement of national celebrities to raise awareness of these species and their conservation.

Check out what was recently done for the golden lion tamarin and the pop singer Anita here in Brazil for example ( I love her golden lion tamarin outfit for the carnival now that is a titilating kind of conservation outreach indeed ).

Wouldn't it be better to instead train the police or someone high up within the police and work on capacity building so that the police can recognize this as a problem and conduct regular raids etc?

In any case even if the police do successfully raid traffickers what is to be done with all the tamarins which end up in their hands and particularly when sanctuaries and zoos are overflowing with them anyway ?

This is where the need to have productive long-term working relationships with national and regional governments is really an essential component of conservation and this cannot be done by short cuts or breaking the laws (even if this is tempting at times).

 

Yes, I agree, it is often frustrating and harmful and if only it was possible to take short cuts and bend the laws to our favour then life and conservation would be easier....

But unfortunately this isn't possible and neither is it desireable for us to go down that path because ultimately it sets ourselves up for even bigger failures down the road when governments begin banning conservation organizations from operating within their territory (and many of them in this area of the world are not shy about doing this).

That kind of scenario of course makes conservation even more challenging and by implication makes the situation for an endangered species even more difficult by stopping us from being able to be there and present with boots on the ground working with it.

Interesting example but I don't know if it is applicable because the Red Cross are a humanitarian organization and one with a long history and worldwide recognition and conservation organizations are rarely put on the same level as humanitarian ones.

Furthermore, the scenarios that the Red Cross work under is in war zones and even if I do see certain parallels and think that conservation is a metaphorical warzone and battle the truth is that governments and authorities lack imagination in this regard and see things in black and white terms of laws and legislation.

 

@Jurek7 , @Kifaru Bwana here are some videos (a couple of years old now so they count as historic in this thread) on the in-situ white footed tamarin situation in Colombia by the Durrell Trust that you may find interesting :

 

History of arrival of Madagascar teal at Jersey (1993 -1998)

Like all three of the species so far mentioned (Livingstone's fruit bat, Lesser Antillean iguana and Lac Alaotran gentle lemur) it is both doubtful that the Madagascar teal would be as common in captivity or would have avoided extinction without the efforts of Jersey zoo and the Durrell trust.



Here is a brief history of how the Madagascar teal duck arrived in Jersey zoo through research and capture attempts that spanned the first half of the 90's.

On the rationale for the capture of the ducks from the wild:

"The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust became actively involved in the conservation of the Madagascar teal Anas bernieri in 1992 (Young et al., 1993). With one endemic Madagascan anatid, the Madagascar pochard Aythya innotata, probably having become extinct within recent years (Young and Smith, were, indeed, no records of this species having 1989; BirdLife International, 2000), there bred were fears that the Madagascar teal might suffer a similar fate. At that time little was known about A. bernieri in the wild and no birds existed in captivity."

"While more information was required from the field to determine its true status, it was important, because of the possible risk to the species’ survival, to establish a captive population at the same time, in order to investigate aspects of its basic biology (Young et al., 1993). To this end the Trust began a programme of field investigations and the capture of birds for captive breeding."

An expedition was launched and manages to captures four teal but upon returning to Jersey there is some bad news:

"In 1993 a Trust expedition to Madagascar returned to Jersey Zoo with four Madagascar teal. All proved to be males, and one died shortly after arrival (Young et al., 1993)."

Two years later there is a bit more success with the capture of more teal and females are obtained for the first time and the Jersey population is augmented with the arrival of more animals in 1998.

"During 1995 two further males and two females were caught and imported. In November 1998, three more wild-caught males arrived in Jersey. All birds remained the property of the Government of Madagascar."





Photo credits (pictures from ZSL not Jersey) to @ThylacineAlive and @demonmoth.

 

Breeding the Madagascar teal (1998 - 2000)



"During 1996 and 1997, while the birds were establishing themselves, no progress was achieved in breeding the teal in Jersey. There were indeed, no records of this species having bred in captivity and no nest in the wild had ever been described. Thoughts were therefore focused on what more might need to be done to encourage them to reproduce. The aviaries then accommodating them were relatively small. Standard open-topped waterfowl pens were considered too insecure for this small vulnerable species,and it was also desirable to leave the birds fully flighted."

The captive husbandry of other closely related duck species that had historically been difficult to breed in captivity was researched thoroughly and a conclusion was reached in how to improve the chances of facilitating captive breeding:

"Experiences on the other side of the world with the highly threatened Campbell Island teal Anas nesiotis, a fairly closely related taxon gave some indication of what could be done. The Campbell Island teal did not breed until moved to a large aviary (Preddey, 1995). It was not unreasonable to consider that the Madagascar teal also required a larger area, and imported providing a varied environment in which the birds had the potential to behave more naturally and which facilitated a range of management options. Not only might this provide optimal breeding conditions, but the opportunity to learn more about the species could be considerably enhanced."

It was decided that a new aviary had to be built for the teals both to promote captive breeding and for education of the visitors :

"While the primary aim was to establish conditions promoting the breeding of the teal, improved exhibition, particularly in terms of conservation education, was also an aspect taken into account. The decision was made to design a new aviary specifically for Madagascar teal."

The aviary is planned and constructed



The aviary design was carefully planned:

"The overall concept was developed and plans drawn up. The requirement was a large cov ered area in which the birds could remain fully flighted. Within this, quite large ponds with ample shallow areas, which it was known the teal favoured, at least in the dry season (Scott and Lubbock, 1974; Young et al., 1993), were needed."

"The planting scheme needed to provide a variety of potential nesting sites as well as security and privacy. In order to give the birds the optimum chance of reproducing success fully, the aviary had to be secluded and quiet, and would not necessarily be on view to the public. However, the idea that the enclosure could be viewed through small windows in a solid screen, which would minimise distur bance, was considered."

The site of the enclosure was chosen with extra care:

"The most appropriate site on which to develop this enclosure was within an existing paddock in the valley running through the centre of the zoo. The Madagascar teal aviary formed the first phase of plans to redevelop the entire val ley. We tried to minimise the impact of the aviary in the valley by making it irregular in shape and outline, and to draw attention away from the netting side walls by planting similar vegetation types both inside and outside the aviary."

The planting of the enclosure was done specifically to mimic the natural habitat of the birds and make them adjust to the new environment :

"The planting scheme has been designed to provide an environment conducive to success ful reproduction, and which also looks attrac tive and conjures up an impression of a western Madagascan wetland area (Plates 3 and 4). Some tree saplings of both willow Salix sp. and alder Alnus glutinosa were planted to give some height. The land area was otherwise planted with swathes of flag iris Iris pseuda corus, reed mace Typha latifolia and reed Phragmites australis. Some clumps of the tall growing reed Arundo donax were added to give a lusher, more tropical feel to the aviary."

"To enhance this further, palms were also included (Plates 3 and 4). Palms are a conspicuous fea ture of the flora in western Madagascar. The species native to this part of Madagascar would not be hardy in Jersey, so Chinese fan palm Trachycarpus fortunei, Mediterranean fan palm Chamaerops humilis and Canary Island date palm Phoenix canariensis were substituted as these grow well in temperate conditions."

Painstaking detail was ensured with the planting of the enclosure :

"Both reed mace and Phragmites have been planted in the water as marginals behind the island at the northwest end of the aviary. Aquatic plants have been added in submerged planting baskets: water lily Nymphaea sp., pickerel Pontederia cordata, powdery thalia Thalia dealbata and papyrus Cyperus papyrus. Although the latter is not hardy, it is found growing in Madagascan wetlands and can be overwintered in a greenhouse and planted out during the summer, giving a tropical effect. An established wingnut tree Pterocarya fraxisifolia is a prominent feature to the north west of the aviary and screens the aviary from that aspect. Willows have been planted around the filter bed and along the outside of the aviary to the boardwalk, screening the aviary sides from the boardwalk approach. Miscanthus sinensis has been planted by the hides and between the boardwalk and the aviary along the southwest side to good effect."

The teal are introduced to eachother and their new home



The birds were introduced to one another and their new home but it was not without a few issues:

"Construction and landscaping were completed in time for birds to be introduced in March 1998. Three male and two female Madagascar teal were released into the aviary, along with a female Sunda teal Anas gibberifrons. The latter acted as a surrogate mate for the extra male (see Young, 1998). Two pairs established territories, but the Madagascar/Sunda teal pair was not tolerated by either pair with a territory and they were therefore removed soon after introduction.

Eventually all of the planning paid off and breeding was finally achieved and with that the first captive breeding of the species ! :

"Both pairs remaining in the aviary went on to reproduce successfully. From one pair, six ducklings were reared artificially. The other pair's first clutch resulted in six artificially reared ducklings, while from a second chutch a brood of two were reared by the parents. This was the first time that Madagascar teal had been successfully bred in captivity. The teal bred in the aviary again in 1999 and 2000."

The team were able to conclude that they had achieved an important conservation goal with the aviary :

"During its first three years the Madagascar teal aviary has realised all of its principal aims. It has produced the first breeding in captivity of Anas bernieri, it has enabled the species to be maintained in such a way that it appears to live reasonably naturally, facilitating research into its behaviour and breeding biology, and it has developed into an interesting exhibit. Providing birds with large aviaries that give them space to behave naturally, and creating environments conducive to their varied and often unknown requirements, must surely be among the aims of progressive zoos.

Moreover an important education goal was also achieved:

"Giving the visiting public the opportunity to view birds in as natural as possible a situation, while at the same time pro viding optimal conditions for the birds' suc cessful reproduction, is also desirable. The maintenance of small anatids in large aviaries where they can fly and therefore behave in a more natural way, as opposed to keeping them in open-topped enclosures either wing-clipped or pinioned, should be common practice."

"Not only can the birds them selves experience an enriched existence but keepers and public alike can enjoy observing them in such enhanced facilities."

Research on the species in the wild continued to uncover more information pertinent to conserving the species in-situ and improving the odds and breeding the species ex-situ:

"In parallel with what has been learnt in the captive situation in Jersey, field work in Madagascar has discovered more about this previously enigmatic duck. It is now known to have quite an extensive distribution in suitable areas along the west coast of Madagascar, but is rare, numbering probably somewhere between 400 and 1000 individuals (Razafindrajao et al., 2001). It nests in holes in trees in mangrove forest and is threatened by a variety of factors; its future is by no means secure. While work continues to ensure its survival in the wild, the progress of the captive programme is promising and expanding to other collections. Although there are currently no plans to reintroduce birds, this is now a viable option should it be called for.



Source: "The design and construction of the Madagascar teal aviary at Jersey Zoo", David Jeggo et al, 2001 (Journal: The dodo).

Photo credits (pictures of teal from ZSL not Jersey) to @Susan Humphreys, @ThylacineAlive, @Maguari and @Tim May .

 

So I should have called this thread : "History of Jersey zoo & Durrell Trust ex-situ / in-situ conservation efforts of the 1990's".

I intend to write about the most notable efforts in ex-situ captive breeding at Jersey zoo from 1990 to the year 2000 ( success and failures).

In this thread I'll write posts on the history of Jersey's programes for the black lion tamarin, the aye-aye, the Malagasy giant jumping rat, the start of the mountain chicken programe (there may be a few other interesting ones that I'll unearth from reading too) and end with the Montserrat oriole at the turn of the millenium .

After this I will create other similar threads for the 1980's and the 1970's.

 

Are you including the Reptiles!

 

Well I have covered one already, the Lesser Antillean iguana, but if I find any more examples as I read of reptile species that arrived at the zoo in the years between 1990 and the year 2000 and that were a strong focus of ex-situ conservation efforts (either successful or failed) then I will definitely include these.

I enjoy the process of reading and researching through old journals about these historic conservation interventions and then writing these summaries up so it is very much a journey for me too to sort of familiarize myself with the history.

 

History of the capture of the first Madagascar teal in the wild (1992 - 1993)

The 1992 survey expedition




The 1992 expedition to survey the Madagascar teal had a lot of expectations resting on it. A similar expedition to obtain another endangered Malagasy duck, the Madagascar pochard, had failed to either capture any animals and nor were any sighted:

"The Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust/Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (JWPT/WWT) expedition to Lac Alaotra, eastern Madagascar, in 1989 was unable to locate the endangered Madagascar pochard Aythya innotata (Young and Smith, 1989). This expedition was, however, able to document the dramatic degradation of the wetlands of Madagascar and associated declines in waterbird numbers."

Lessons had been learned from past attempts with other species and this time capture would not be attempted until a thorough survey had been completed and data obtained on the ecology of the species in its natural habitat:

"In 1992 Young, Green, Ravonjiarisoa and Rabarisoa visited Lac Bemamba to assess the status of A. bernieri. This joint JWPT/WWT expedition was joined in the field by Aristide Andrianarimisa (UNESCO/PNUD). The team flew from Antananarivo to Antsalova before being driven by UNESCO to Ambalakazaha on Bemamba's eastern shore. Arriving at Bemamba on 13 July, 17 days were spent surveying water birds. "


Finding and studying the teal: A wild duck chase




It took a while for the team to find the species but it was located after eight days and many additional days were spent in collecting the data:

"A. bernieri was located after eight days and six days were spent collecting behavioural data on this species.

The research was done using traditional forms of transport in that area of Madagascar and therefore posed some challenges for the team:

"Most survey work was done on foot with data collected between 07.00 and 14.00 hr. Some observations were made from pirogues (wooden dug-out canoes) but the shallow lake conditions made this form of travel difficult. Usually different areas of lake were covered by each member of the team.

"A further three days were spent at the mouth and estuary of the Soahany river where further survey work was done on foot and from a sea-going pirogue. Returning from the Soahany the team spent four days at Lac Masama where the majority of observations were made from pirogue. Travel between sites was on foot with an oxcart."

Assessing the threats to the teal



The team were able to ascertain the threats that were posed to the species and that seemed to be driving the species to extinction in Lac Bemamba and one of these was unsuprisingly hunting:

"People hunt all bird species at the lake and in adjacent forest, taking all ages of birds and eggs. Guns are rare, but traps are widespread and slingshots, catapults, spears and dogs are all used to kill birds."

Another threat posed came indirectly from migrants to the area with attitudes towards the ecosystem that differed sharply from those of locals:

"The traditional people of this area of western Madagascar are the Sakalava who farm cattle, grow little rice and generally live closely with wildlife, only making a limited impact on bird populations. These people are, however, now outnumbered by immigrants more willing to kill wild animals. The future at Bemamba for all waterbirds is uncertain. The authors recorded lower numbers of duck than Scott and Lubbock (1974). The latter authors suggested that populations had already been reduced by 70% in the years before 1973."

The introduction of invasive fish species accompanied the rise in the human population and had begun to impact the native waterfowl of the lake :

"The increasing human population brings with it problems beyond habitat modification. Exotic fish, particularly Tilapia sp. have been introduced to the lake. This species has been associated with the decline of wildfowl at Lac Alaotra in Madagascar (Young and Smith, 1989; Pidgeon, 1993) and with the extinction of the Rennell Island grey teal A. gracilis remissa (Kear and Williams, 1978)."

Completion of survey

With the survey complete it was believed that enough data had been gathererd and preparations could be made for the challenging task of capturing the teal:

"As a result of the survey recommendations were made which included further survey work, research, habitat protection and the initiation of a captive breeding programme (Young et al., 1993)."

Photo credits to @vogelcommando, @Tamanoir and @ThylacineAlive .


Source: "Survey and Capture of the Madagascar Teal, Anas bernieri, at Lac Bebamba Madagascar July-August 1992, July 1993.", H. Glyn Young, 1993 (Journal: The Dodo). "

 

According to an old post that I found by @JerseyLotte (shame she isn't active as would love to hear her comments on this thread) the original founding male Lesser Antillean Iguana is named "Carib" which is a fine name in my opinion.

I wonder if this is him in the picture ?



A bit of context to his name. The Caribs were one of the original indigenous tribes that occupied the Lesser Antillean region of the Caribbean and the islands where the iguana is native to (The tainos, another tribe, occupied the larger islands like Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico).

Unlike the Taino the Caribs were supposedly a very warlike peoples and practiced head hunting and ritual cannibalism of their enemies (not that the Spanish colonists could judge anyone on brutality and bloodthirsty practices).

Incidentally whereas the indigenous Taino peoples were wiped out by the Spanish colonists the Carib survived on Dominica and there are still communities living there to this day. An even more appropriate name for this iguana in my opinion considering survival and resilience.

Now, I'd like to see if I can find the name of his mate.

Photo credit to @Tomek.

 

History of the capture of the first Madagascar teal in the wild (1993)

The 1993 capture expedition



Everything set the team arrived in Madagascar:

"In 1993 a second JWPT expedition comprising Young, Safford and Ravonjiarisoa visited Lac Bemamba from 27 June to 26 July. The principal aim of the return visit was to attempt the capture of four live Madagascar teal for export to Jersey under the Accord with the Government of Madagascar."

The mechanics of the trapping that would lead to the hoped capture were worked :

"Preparations before capture was attempted were based on the duck’s apparent tameness and the possibility of observers getting very close to pairs on the sandbar. It was planned in advance to use a Romford net (see Davis, 1981) with heavy netting, set in the mud where teal would feed. The trap would be released by the pulling of a long, 70+ m length of string by an observer sitting still on the sandbar."

But best laid plans did not work out in the field and the ducks proved evasive and wiley:

"The net, 7 m across, was laid in shallow water, and furled until released. The net had a 2m reach. The teal were very approachable and often watched closely as the net was set. They were subsequently extremely wary of the trap! The ducks moved close to the net and inspected it, from outside the catching area. They then proceeded to feed close by, studiously avoiding the net."

Despite exhaustive efforts the capture of the ducks was proving more difficult than had been anticipated by the team but they persisted:

"Trapping was attempted on 17 consecutive days, from 7–23 July, initially setting the net at first light c.06.00 hr and removing it at 12.00 to 14.00 hr. Initial fears of theft were disregarded after several days, so that the problem of re-assembling the trap in front of the ducks was averted. The trap was moved almost every afternoon, especially because of the fast receding water."

Attempts at using local knowledge and the capture of the teals



Local knowledge regarding the species and its habits was sought out but unfortunately things didn't go smoothly and much was lost in translation and cultural impasses :

"Small ducks were variously referred to as soafifi, Sadakely, tsiriry, tadaky, vivy and mireha. Whenever possible efforts were made to relate these names to species by showing the informant a live bird. The confusion was almost total and people would rarely if ever admit to gaps in their knowledge."

But eventually a reliable source was found whose knowledge of these birds would drive forward the effort to capture the teal and conserve it :

"The best (and only fully acceptable) local information came in 1993 from a 50-year old man from near Ambalakazaha, known as Dadilahy (“grandfather”). He recognised A. bernieri (as sadakely) at remarkable distances, and consistently and correctly distinguished it from A. hottentota (tadaky) and A. erythrorhyncha (mireha). He correctly described its confiding habits and preference for muddy lagoons. He said that the best place was Lac Antsamaka and that it was not to be found at Lac Masama and the “Three Lakes” (see Safford, 1993). Since all his statements that could be checked proved correct, his claim that A. bernieri nests in a small scrape in forest leaf litter, often far (distance not specified) from water, in the wet season, should be taken seriously."

This timely information led to the momentous capture of the first duck:

"The first teal was captured on the second day that the trap was set. This occurred during fighting involving 11 birds who were temporarily distracted and entered the trapping area."

Which was subsequently followed by further captures:

A second bird, Bird 2, was not captured for a further nine days, after which three more birds were captured on alternate days. After the first capture the heavy netting was replaced with mist netting which, lighter and finer, allowed the net to move faster and was less obvious in the shallow, muddy water."



Despite the odds the mission had been completed and conservation history had been made :

" Captured birds were housed in a three-run cage constructed of plastic fruit-cage netting built under the shade of trees. The ducks settled quickly, drinking water from metal bowls the day following capture, feeding on soaked poultry pellets the day after. Fear of predation by the common dogs and a possible fossa Cryptoprocta ferox meant that the ducks were placed in their travelling crates after dark and kept in a tent overnight. The four ducks were flown back to Antananarivo by UNESCO on 26 July and housed at the Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza for two weeks before being flown to Jersey on 9 August."

Photo credits to @gentle lemur, @AdrianW1963 and @HOMIN96

Sources: "SURVEY AND CAPTURE OF THE MADAGASCAR TEAL Anas bernieri AT LAC BEMAMBA MADAGASCAR JULY — AUGUST 1992, JULY 1993.", Glyn Young, 1993 (Journal: The Dodo).

 

The arrival of the aye aye at Jersey zoo / The Madagascar Expedition (1990)

'In the gloom it came along the branches towards me, its round, hypnotic eyes blazing, its spoon-like ears turning to and fro independently like radar dishes . . . it was Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky come to life . . . one of the most incredible creatures I had ever been privileged to meet.' - The aye-aye and I, Gerald Durrell.

This is a brief history of arrival of the aye-aye at Jersey zoo in 1990, it is recommended that zoochatters check out the excellent book by Gerald Durrell about the Madagascar expedition to capture endangered species "The Aye-aye and I" (without a doubt the best place to read about this expedition).



Jersey zoo had formed a strong connection with the government of Madagascar in the early 1980's and as a result by the end of the 1980's was in a privileged position to conduct research and conservation within the country:

"Much of the vertebrate fauna of Madagascar is threatened with extinction (IUCN/ UNEP, 1988). In 1983 the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust (JWPT) entered a formal agreement with the Government of Madagascar to establish captive breeding programmes, both in Madagascar and at the Trust's zoological collection, to help save some of the threatened species, to train Malagasy technicians at the International Training Centre in Jersey and to undertake field investigations to promote the protection of Malagasy fauna."

The rationale for the capture of the aye-aye amongst other species was the following:

"In 1989 the JWPT received permission to mount an expedition to capture specimens for breeding in Jersey. An initial list of 32 species warranting captive breeding was agreed. The list was reduced according to several criteria, including assumed degree of threat to the species, accommodation possibilities in Jersey and the logistics of travel and animal care by a four person team over a four month period in Madagascar. Species from three areas were chosen: the aye-aye Daubentonia madagascariensis, the Malagasy ring-tailed mongoose Galidia elegans and the Malagasy ground boa"

The search for the aye-aye got off to a challenging start :

"To the south of Mananara lies a 140,000ha Man and Biosphere Reserve, established by presidential decree in 1989. We were requested by Reserve and DEF authorities not to collect aye-aye there, although there were strong indications that animals were being killed inside the Reserve by the local people in spite of preliminary educational projects in the area encouraging their protection."

Denied the opportunity to collect the animal from within the reserve the search for the aye-aye began in earnest in the villages and forest fragments around the reserve.

Quite suitably given the animals eerie appearance, sinister connotations and supernatural associations in Madagascar the search sometimes occurred around graveyards at night:

"From 05 October we began looking for aye-aye to the north of the Reserve by making inquiries of villagers and searching forest patches (mostly secondary forest near cultivations, but also primary forest on hilltops and around graveyards) at night by torchlight.

For two weeks signs of the animals and their activity were abundant and a number of them seen but no captures were made:

"Although aye-aye sign (old and new nests, damage to coconut and sugarcane) was found and several animals were sighted over the next fortnight, no captures were made."

Capturing the aye-aye



The first of the Jersey aye ayes was soon caught by a local and brought to the Durrell's, this animal proved to be a mother and her young:

"We received permission to hunt in the outer “ring” of the Reserve (a multi-use area), and the search continued both to the north and in the Reserve for the next fortnight, but with the same negative results. Our luck changed on 01 November, when two local men brought us a female aye-aye and her baby they had captured near a village within the outer ring of the Reserve."

Capturing the aye-aye was accomplished by a young Malagasy man, Julian, who became very talented at catching these animals:

"Capture of aye-aye is most successfully done by locating a fresh nest, climbing up to it and grabbing the animal by hand before it has a chance to escape. We were fortunate to have on our team Julien Rabesoa, a young Malagasy experienced in this method of catching aye-aye, who caught five of our animals. Other methods unsuccessfully attempted during the expedition were capture by hand at night during the animal's active period and setting live-traps (Eeziset Cat Trap 76x32x28cm) positioned on tree branches and baited with fruit, sugarcane, insect grubs and a paste of bread and honey."

The captured animals were from the very begining treated with absolute care:

"On capture each aye-aye was weighed with a Salter Super Samson Spring balance. The adults were maintained individually (young remained with their mothers) in two metal grill Carrier Crates wired together to give overall dimensions of 184x69x64 cm 11 each furnished with stout branches and a wooden nest box approximately 35X35X35cm stuffed with green leaves. They were fed on fresh sugarcane and coconut, insect grubs and a paste of bread, honey and egg yolk. A variety of cultivated fruits was offered, but only banana and paw paw were occasionally taken."

With the capture quota having been reached it was soon time for the aye-aye to take the flight to the UK and to their new homes at the Jersey zoo:

"Accompanied by Q. Bloxam, the six aye-ayes, in four Vari-Kennels 67x49x46cm lined with twillweld mesh and containing their wooden nest boxes, and the ground boas in individual cloth bags, were flown in a hired light aircraft from Mananara to Antananarivo on 16 November. Q. Bloxam accompanied the aye-ayes on a commercial flight to Mauritius the same day, personally supervising the loading of the animals onto the London flight the next day. The shipment was met in London by Jeremy Mallinson, Zoological Director of JWPT, on 18 November and flown directly to Jersey by hired light aircraft. All aye-aye were active and feeding on release into their individual quarantine accommodation in Jersey."


Photo credit to @Paradoxurus and @gentle lemur (photograph taken at Bristol zoo).

Source: "Notes on the Durrell Expedition to Madagascar September-December 1990", Lee Durrell, 1990 (Journal: The Dodo) & "The aye-aye and I", Gerald Durrell, 1990.

 

The history of the first aye-aye at Jersey zoo (1990-1992)



The Jersey aye-ayes : A magnificent seven

The first six originally wild caught aye-ayes at Jersey zoo were named: Patrice (♂ ), Alaine (♂ ), Juliet (♀), Mina (♀ ), Fred ( ♂ ) and Junior( ♂).

Most of these animals were adult animals and in their reproductive prime. However, two individuals (Fred and Junior) were the young offspring of the females and were therefore still dependent on their mothers.

Another adult aye-aye, a female named "Mamy" arrived from the Paris zoo in 1992 to join the growing Jersey group.

In the early 1990's the Jersey aye-ayes actually comprised three-quarters of the captive population of the species and were therefore of enormous significance for ex-situ conservation efforts and research into the husbandry of the species.

Photo credit to @gentle lemur (aye-aye at Bristol zoo).

Sources: "Aye-aye conservation: The Role of the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust", Anna Feistner and Bryan Carroll, 1995 (Book: Creatures of the Night-The Nocturnal Prosimians).

 

Husbandry of the aye-aye in the early years (1990-1993).



The Jersey aye-ayes were held in what were then optimum and state of the art enclosures:

"The aye-ayes were housed in large enclosures each liberally furnished with branches and ropes. Wooden nest-boxes (35 x 35 x 35 cm) were also provided and the aye-ayes were regularly supplied with nesting material such as woodwool, pampas grass, and fresh leafy branches."

Lighting and temperature conditions of the enclosures reflected the nocturnal activity of the species :

"They were maintained on a 12 h reversed lighting regime, with the lights dim from 13.00 to 01.00h, corresponding to their active period. Temperature was maintained about 22°C."

The diet and nutritional requirements of the aye aye was carefully managed by the zoo staff:

"All were fed early in the active period on a variety of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and insect grubs. Other items such as raw eggs, sugar cane, coconut, and a muesli mix were given less frequently. Water was available ad lib (Beattie et al. 1992)."

Breeding the aye-aye : The first captive breeding (1992)



Because so little was known back in the early 1990's of the reproductive ecology of the aye-aye the attempt to breed the species was very much a learning curve for Jersey.

As both of the original females still were raising their young offspring it took a while before they could be actively introduced to the males and bred. The female Mina sadly died before this could happen and this left Juliet as the only female.

Once Juliet had reared her young one she was introduced slowly to the males and the interaction was carefully studied by the animal staff to learn the reproductive behaviour of the aye-aye:

"The adult female Juliet and one of the adult males (initially Alain, then Patrice) were housed off exhibit in adjacent cages (each 1.8 x 3.1 x 3.5 m high; the male's enclosure had a pitched ceiling with a low point of 2.4 m) each liberally furnished with branches and ropes."

"The two aye-ayes were given direct access by opening the mesh door when the female showed vulval swelling. A behavioural study monitoring the results of mixings was also instigated."

The male aye-aye Alaine didn't take Juliet's fancy and she wasn't game:

"When Juliet again started showing vulval swelling the two adults were given direct access, for increasingly longer periods of time, from two hours, to overnight on days on which the female's genitals appeared maximally swollen. Early interactions, during the period her vulva was increasing in size, were characterised by aggression by the female and increasing nervousness by the male. When Juliet was at the height of her swelling she appeared less aggressive, and even approached Alain several times. He reacted by retreating. As her swelling subsided he became increasingly wary of her."

Patrice, the second male was therefore introduced :

"When Juliet commenced a third cycle, it was decided to mix her with the second adult male Patrice, in the hope that the two might be compatible. The day before she reached full tumescence Alain was moved to another enclosure and was replaced by Patrice. This time the two aye-ayes were only mixed on days on which Juliet's swelling was maximally tumescent."

Patrice proved up to the job and rose to the occasion :

"On the second day they were again given direct access to each other and this time Patrice retreated much shorter distances from her and occasionally chased her. Both individuals vocalised and Juliet also scent marked. Nearly two hours after mixing, Patrice repeatedly approached Juliet, despite being repeatedly rebuffed, and then succeeded in mounting her. He retained his position while she moved to a near vertical branch, gained intromission, and they mated."

A very special moment came five moments later after the gestation period had passed ,two years after the arrival of the aye-aye at Jersey, the birth of the first aye aye that had been conceived occurred:

"In August 1992 the first steps towards establishing a captive breeding programme were realised when a baby aye-aye was born (Fig. 1), copulation, conception, pregnancy and birth having taken place in captivity (Beattie et al., 1992). This event was a world first and marked a significant step in the conservation prospects for this species."

This acheivement marked a first and the little female who had been born to Juliet was named Sambany.

Photo credits to @gentle lemur (photos taken at Bristol and Chester zoos).

Sources: "First captive breeding of the aye-aye", Jane Beattie et al, 1992 (Journal: The Dodo).

 

The Jersey aye-ayes as ambassadors of their species and Malagasy biodiversity (1990 to present).



The original Jersey aye-ayes were kept off-show while they adjusted to captivity and a new and larger nocturnal enclosure was constructed for the steadily growing group of aye-ayes at Jersey zoo.

By 1992 the large enclosure had been constructed alongside the manor and the aye-ayes who had adapted well to captive life were moved in to this spacious accomodation.

The appeal of the aye-aye and educational role of these animals as ambassadors of their species to the visiting public was another important consideration from the very beginning of their arrival at Jersey:

"Aye-ayes are active and curious animals, and their unique specializations and percussive and extractive foraging techniques coupled with their bizarrely fascinating appearance make them a potentially extremely effective exhibit. To capitalize on their intrinsic appeal, captive conditions should include spacious and complex three dimensional environments containing a wide variety of substrates of different diameters and orientation, opportunities for nest-making, exploration and extractive foraging."

"Through the means described above, the aye-aye can act as a focus of attention, and hence as a flagship species for the conservation of Malagasy fauna and flora. Such high profile, charismatic species attract funding from the public and this can then be used in the protection of entire ecosystems in the wild ."

However, the bigger picture of the in-situ conservation of the species in Madagascar and the long-term moral and ethical commitment to the overall conservation of the aye-aye was never forgotten:

"The recent tendency for captive breeding programmes to be linked with wider conservation issues is best acheived through formal contracts with the governments of habitat countries (Mallinson, 1991). The capture and maintenance of the aye-ayes at JWPT and in other western facilities has been under the auspices of formal accords with the Malagasy Government. All aye-ayes in captivity remain the property of the Malagasy Government ensuring that no holders of the species lose sight of the wider responsibilities that maintenance of endangered species in captivity carries."


Photo credits to @Maxime.

Sources: "The Work of the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust", Tony Allchurch, 1992(Journal: The Journal of Veterinary Medicine).

 

Further breeding success of the aye-aye at Jersey (1993 to the present)

Jersey zoo has excelled in breeding the aye-aye since the birth of their first animal in 1992, the first captive bred aye-aye.

Several births have occured in the years 1996 (Tany ♀️), 1997 (Zanvie ♀️), 1999 (Malala ♀️ and Misaotra ♂) and in 2003 (Tappity♀️).

In recent years there have been more births with a little male who was born in 2016 and was named "Matoky" which means "Hope" in the Malagasy language. Matoka can be seen in the video below:







The latest births of aye-aye at Jersey occurred at the begining of this year, a little female who was sadly rejected by her mother and is being hand reared, check out the videos below :





She was eventually given the name "Mifaly" which means "to be playful and rejoice" in Malagasy language. Mifaly is growing by the day and seems to be quite a character, check her out in the videos below:





A little male was born recently too who has been given the name "Marary Kenatra" which are the words "patient" and "shy" in Malagasy.

 

I have followed the best that I can their work with Island species for many years I believe they have done an outstanding job of it many could follow the lead they have set.
They appear unless I maybe missing it to have gone somewhat under the radar in resent years but perhaps I am just missing it?

 

Totally agree, they have done some excellent work with island species and also some mainland ones too.

I don't know if they have gone under the radar as such and they are definitely still very active in in-situ and ex-situ conservation.

But I do think they have moved much more towards in-situ conservation within the range and country of a species and less on ex-situ at the zoo (though it still does play a big part in the work they do).

I think that this is what you could have possibly picked up on and I have definitely noticed this trend too. I don't think it is bad thing but I do hope that the zoo does continue to be part of their mission and that they don't become like ZSL London for example.

 

I agree. perhaps since Durrel passed the zoo may have slipped under the Radar somewhat